HOUSE prices in Northern Ireland have continued to rise, according to the latest figures from the Halifax Building Society.

The survey shows that prices have risen by just over one per cent during the last quarter, and are now 18.5 per cent up on a year ago.

The average price of a house in Northern Ireland is now £57,200, compared with an average of £71,218 for the rest of the UK, a difference of less than 20 per cent, down from a 50 per cent differential in 1988.

The building society's Northern Ireland area manager, Mr Colin Barkley, described the market as "very healthy", and said prices would continue to rise, but at a slower rate.

"Over the past 15 years the Northern Ireland property market has bucked the trend in the UK," he said. "But it can't keep going up by 18 or 20 per cent every year.